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Ortiz Law Firm | National Disability Law Firm
Ortiz Law Firm is dedicated to helping people recover the disability benefits they deserve. We handle group Long Term Disability (LTD) claims, individual disability insurance policy claims, ERISA disability claims, and Social Security Disability claims.
Navigating a long-term disability (LTD) claim can be overwhelming, especially when your benefits are unfairly denied. At Ortiz Law Firm, we recently helped a client successfully appeal a denial from Hartford and win a Social Security Disability claim, too. Here’s how it all unfolded. The Onset of Disability Our client stopped working in January 2024 …
At the Ortiz Law Firm, we recently had the honor of helping a dedicated Account Executive for UnitedHealth Group who was wrongfully denied long-term disability benefits by The Hartford. Our client had been unable to work for several years, due to numerous debilitating conditions, including ongoing pain from bilateral hip replacements, osteoarthritis, lumbar spondylosis, advanced …
A social worker’s long-term disability (LTD) claim for chronic fatigue syndrome was denied by Hartford and upheld by both the federal district court and the court of appeals. Independent reviewers concluded her fatigue was more likely tied to pre-existing psychiatric conditions than to a separate physical impairment, and both courts found Hartford’s review process reasonable …
Sandra Mucciacciaro filed suit against Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company after it denied her long-term disability (LTD) claim. Both parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment, and the case was decided in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The disability plan at issue was governed by ERISA. At the center of …
A collections representative with serious cardiac conditions and COPD lost her long-term disability (LTD) lawsuit against Hartford after the court found the insurer’s denial was reasonable and supported by substantial evidence. Despite her argument that the stress of debt collection work would aggravate her heart condition, the court found Hartford had not ignored that evidence …
Archer received long-term disability (LTD) and life insurance waiver-of-premium benefits from Hartford for several years before Hartford terminated both, relying on a functionality questionnaire from her treating physicians that indicated she could perform sedentary work — even after one of those physicians later walked the assessment back. The court upheld Hartford’s decision as reasonable, finding …
Hartford denied Benson’s long-term disability (LTD) claim, concluding he wasn’t disabled throughout the full elimination period tied to his knee replacement recovery — despite Benson’s argument that fatigue and pain from polymyalgia rheumatica also disabled him. The court affirmed the denial, finding Hartford’s decision wasn’t “wrong” under the deferential Blankenship framework, since Benson’s own treating …
Nagy previously won a lawsuit awarding him long-term disability (LTD) benefits for a defined period, but this case concerns Hartford’s subsequent denial of benefits for the following “any occupation” period, based on chronic fatigue syndrome and related conditions. The court upheld Hartford’s denial, finding Nagy failed to prove continuous disability given a ten-month gap in …
Hartford terminated Miller’s long-term disability (LTD) benefits for fibromyalgia and depression after multiple physician file reviews concluded she could perform light work, despite her primary physician’s opinion that she had debilitating limitations. The court upheld the denial, finding Miller’s own doctor acted “more as an advocate than a doctor rendering objective opinions” by never referring …
Hartford Life & Accident Insurance Company terminated Mawa’s long-term disability (LTD) benefits for peripartum cardiomyopathy once the stricter “any occupation” standard took effect, relying on independent physician reviews that found her capable of full-time sedentary work despite her ongoing lightheadedness and cardiac symptoms. The court upheld the denial, finding a second reviewing physician’s restrictions were …
The Second Circuit recently ruled in favor of Hartford in a long-term disability claim involving multiple sclerosis, finding that Hartford's denial of long-term disability coverage was not arbitrary and capricious.
The court ruled that Hartford reasonably relied on medical opinions and surveillance evidence in deeming her ineligible for continued benefits, which means Hartford’s decision to terminate LTD benefits was rationally justified and thus is not arbitrary and capricious.
In this case, the court agreed with the district court that Hartford’s decision was reasonable and did not amount to an abuse of discretion. The record readily shows that Griffin received a fair and thorough consideration of his claim and that the available evidence reasonably supported Hartford’s conclusion.
If you have a long-term disability insurance claim that has been managed by Aetna, and now letters are coming to you on letterhead from the Hartford, do not be alarmed. That’s because Hartford entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Aetna’s U.S. group life and disability business in October 2017. This means that Hartford has …